The Rebirth (Age-Regression)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Anya POV:

The next couple of weeks are the best we've ever had with Aria. She's laughing and smiling, the happiest she's ever been with us. Maxim's enjoying it too.

Long gone are the days of her clinging to Maxim. She seems to prefer both us now. She'll cry for me when I leave the room and whine for Maxim when he has to go to work.

Whatever was wrong with her before, seems to be a thing of the past now. She nurses without problem and even seems to enjoy it. Aria is all I could ever ask for in a baby. She's perfect.

Currently, she's waking up from her midmorning nap. I watch her as she stretches her arms above her head, wiggling against the sheets. I ended up laying down with her in Maxim and I's bed for nap time. I just wanted to snuggle with her for a while.

We both fell asleep at the same time, with me waking up first. I have plans for this afternoon after I make some lunch. I've been thinking about taking Aria swimming in the pool. Maxim has the day off of work, so it's the perfect time.

Aria loves the water. Bath time is always her favorite. She always gets the biggest smile on her face.

"You ready to wake up, peanut." I whisper while rubbing her belly.

She smacks her lips together, trying to roll over to her belly. The procedure she went through a few weeks ago affected some of her motor skills. She lost her ability to crawl and stand. Sitting up seems to be a small challenge for her too, along with rolling over.

Deciding to help her, I gently push on her side. Aria turns her face against the sheets and tucks her legs under her belly.

"Sweet girl," I coo softly while patting her back, "It's time to wake up. We're going to go swimming."

Aria whines, her face scrunching up like she's about to cry. I've noticed she cries a lot less since her procedure. That doesn't mean that she's completely stopped crying. Waking up is always hard on her, usually ending up in a crying fit.

"I know. You're so sleepy, peanut."

Lifting her up, I cradle her in my arms. She finally opens her ice blue eyes, blinking them against the sun coming through the window.

"There you are! You want to go downstairs and get some nummy food? Daddy's waiting for us down there," I pause when I smell something rotten in the air, "Scratch that. We need to change your bum first."

Standing, I carry Aria into her nursery, laying her down on the changing table. She stretches again, putting her fist in her mouth.

Stripping her out of the striped onesie she's wearing, I get to work changing her bum. "Goodness, peanut. You stink!"

Aria giggles, kicking her chubby legs out at me. She babbles to herself while I finish up, putting a swim diaper on her.

"I don't feel like digging through your swimsuits right now. You can just swim in your diaper. You do need some sunscreen."

I dig through the drawers of her changing table, searching for the baby friendly sunscreen that we have, grumbling to myself when I can't find it.

"Da da da da." I hear Aria babble as she plays with her toes.

"Daddy's downstairs. He's watching sports." I explain even though she doesn't understand.

Grabbing the diaper bag that's next to the changing table, I finally manage to find the sunscreen. Aria fusses when I begin to rub the lotion over her body. When I get to her face, she throws a miniature tantrum. She hates it when I put anything on her face.